How did the girlfriend send the mail? Perhaps that was leaked, also, I don't believe a single thing of this article. If Google would be doing this, this would mean that their entire service would fail within days. Such things cannot go unnoticed, perhaps there is an angry ex out there. Pointing to Google is just an easy way out.
Is it possible that unpaid parking tickets go to some kind of court record, which attorneys frequently check for client acquisition? It's pretty common for someone in any kind of legal proceedings to receive solicitations from attorneys.